However, Haitang then answered the question on Tu Xiao'an's mind.

"If I don't break through soon, I'm going to die. And if I die, there will be no one left to take care of Brother Gaoyang. He's blind and all alone. I can't bear to leave him. I promised him I'd be his eyes, his hands, and his feet—that I'd take care of him for the rest of his life."

Now that she had regained her senses, the Cat Spirit's eyes were stunningly beautiful. They sparkled like the purest gems in the world, twinkling with a brilliant light.

But now, those same eyes were filled with a sorrow that bordered on despair. A single, shimmering tear welled up and silently trickled down her furry cheek.

In truth, once a creature's intelligence has fully awakened, they can speak human language. At that point, they're really no different from people.

They're High Rank Creatures, after all, capable of feeling the full range of human emotions and desires.

'If I don't break through, I'll die?'

Tu Xiao'an didn't quite understand at first, but after a moment's thought, the answer clicked into place. He stared, stunned, at the weeping Cat Spirit.

Haitang said sorrowfully, "That's right. My lifespan is coming to an end. If I don't break through to Rank 3, I will die."

"I'm not afraid of dying. For a cat, I've lived a very, very long life. I just can't bear to leave my Brother Gaoyang behind. He's just so pitiful..."

Just a mere cat, lying on the ground, her body trembling. Suppressed, agonizing sobs seemed to be drawn, thread by painful thread, from the depths of her very soul. They filled the dim cave, weaving a tapestry of deep, blue sorrow.

For a moment, Tu Xiao'an almost forgot he was looking at a cat.

If he closed his eyes, he could almost believe it was a gentle young woman weeping before him, her cries stirring a feeling of pity in his heart.

Haitang was now one hundred and sixty-three years old. She was about to die of old age.

Only by breaking through to become a Rank Three Creature could she dramatically increase her lifespan and continue to live in this bustling human world.

An ordinary cat's lifespan is only seven to fifteen years. Reaching the age of fifteen is roughly equivalent to a human living for a century.

It was precisely because Haitang's intelligence had awakened and she had become a Rank Two Creature that she had lived to be one hundred and sixty-two.

But the lifespan of Rank Two Creatures is less than two hundred years. Haitang knew her time was up—that she was about to die. That was why she had no choice but to risk everything on a single, desperate gamble.

It was the mentality of a gambler. Becoming a Rank Three Creature was incredibly difficult. First, one had to take the initial step to break through the barrier. But even after crossing that threshold, one still had to endure a baptism of Celestial Thunder and Celestial Fire from the heavens.

If you could withstand it, you would become a Rank Three Creature, transcending ordinary beings. You could then take human form, and your lifespan would increase dramatically.

Haitang knew that with her own Cultivation alone, she wouldn't even be able to take that first step. Her only choice was to take a riskier path. She stole the Snake King Stone from the Bai Family, hoping its power would help her cross the threshold and endure the subsequent baptism of Celestial Thunder and Celestial Fire.

If she could withstand the Celestial Thunder and Celestial Fire, then she, a mere Cat Spirit, could ascend the throne and become a Cat King.

But this was an incredibly difficult feat, comparable to Ascension to Divinity. The mortality rate for Crossing the Tribulation was terrifyingly high.

Perhaps it was because of this brief exchange, but Haitang began to trust the Snake Spirit, Tu Xiao'an. She proceeded to tell him the story of her life as a cat.

Tu Xiao'an settled in to listen, equally curious as to how Haitang had become a Level 29 Cat Spirit.

She was the highest-Level Awakened Creature he had ever encountered.

One hundred and sixty years ago, during the Qing Dynasty, the Chen Family was one of the great, prominent families in Wencheng City, bustling and prosperous.

But it was also an era of decline for the dynasty. The common people struggled to survive, many couldn't even find enough to eat, to say nothing of the stray cats and dogs.

The streets were filled with stray cats and dogs. Many starved or were beaten to death. But one tiny, three-month-old kitten was lucky.

She wandered to the gates of the Chen Family Mansion. The mistress of the Chen Residence was a kind-hearted Buddhist. Seeing the kitten's excellent features and adorable appearance, she couldn't bear to let it starve in the streets and took it in.

From that day on, the kitten lived a happy life in the Chen Residence. She no longer had to suffer from cold or hunger, nor endure bullying from other animals or people. There was food for her at every meal.

Day by day, the kitten grew ever more radiant and pretty. Everyone in the entire residence adored her.

She became the pet of nearly everyone in the household.

One night, as she crouched on the roof gazing up at the vast, starry sky, she felt a strange pull. Opening her mouth to the moon, a mysterious surge of Energy welled up. By sheer chance, she absorbed the Essence of the heavens and the earth. Over a long time, she developed a spirit, and her intelligence awakened.

And so, she became Haitang. Now possessing intelligence, Haitang did nothing to harm any Chen Family Member. Instead, she devoted herself to repaying their kindness, watching over the residence and guarding the courtyard. From that day forward, not even a master thief—let alone a mouse—could dream of scaling the Chen Family walls at night.

Thirty years later, the mistress who had taken Haitang in passed away. Over the next twenty years, nearly everyone from that generation of the Chen Family was gone.

But to everyone's surprise, the cat remained the same. Time seemed to have left no trace upon her.

If anything, the cat's appearance grew even more remarkable. It was as if she had lived so long she'd become a spirit. During those fifty years, Haitang became a Rank Two Creature.

The older generation of the Chen Family had all passed away. Haitang began to watch over the new generation, diligently protecting them from any harm or misfortune.

Then, another sixty years passed.

The Chen Family was a river, ever-flowing; the cat was iron, unchanging.

The Chen Family knew the cat was extraordinary. They saw her as a cherished symbol of good fortune, and every generation treated Haitang with great kindness.

As time passed, the new nation was founded, but the Chen Family fell into decline. Its line dwindled until only two remained: Chen Gaoyang's grandmother, and Chen Gaoyang himself, who had been blind since birth.

Haitang took to watching over the grandmother and her grandson.

She had watched Chen Gaoyang grow up from the time he was a small child. Because he was blind, Haitang gave him special attention and care. 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

But back then, even though Haitang was already a Cat Spirit with fully awakened intelligence, her heart had not yet stirred with affection. She had lived a long time, but her mind was still like that of a young girl.

Then came the day Chen Gaoyang's grandmother was on her deathbed. She spoke to the Cat Spirit who had guarded their family for over a century. "You repaid the Chen Family's kindness in taking you in long, long ago. You could have left at any time. But now, I must beg you... will you please watch over the last of our Chen Family line?"

In every generation, Haitang would acknowledge one person as her master, and only that master ever knew she could speak.

The grandmother knew she was a Cat Spirit, but a kind one who belonged solely to the Chen Family.

She would never harm a person, much less eat one.

Chen Gaoyang was blind, and his grandmother couldn't rest easy leaving him behind. He was the last of the Chen Family line, so she could only entrust him to the Cat Spirit.

Haitang agreed to the dying grandmother's request. And so, in the end, only the Cat Spirit and the congenitally blind Chen Gaoyang were left in the great Chen Family Mansion.